Chef’s Night at Second Harvest Food Bank with The Rusty Spoon

On June 25th, Second Harvest hosts Chef Kathleen Blake from The Rusty Spoon for the Chef’s Night Series and Catering for Good program.

Each Chef’s Night brings local top chefs into Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida to celebrate delicious food and raise money for a good cause. All proceeds benefit Second Harvest’s Culinary Training Program, which provides students with the skills and inspiration they need to obtain an entry-level position in a food service establishment.

The evening began with tasteful conversations and delightful Amuse-bouche. In my opinion, the item on the left has more texture compared to the item on the right. However, both have their own reasons for praise. Also, the left is more dessert like than the right because it reminds me of cinnamon apples (on top of potato). The right is flavored sweet barbecue, but it is a bit too sweet for my preferences.

The first course consisted of Charred squid and octopus with Frog Song organic watermelon two ways with house pickled peppers and arugula. So many flavors danced together and made a well balanced salad from the sweet notes of the watermelon, savory squid and octopus, the tart and spicy pickled peppers to the fresh, yet bitter arugula.

Next came sweet corn, chorizo and local oyster mushrooms with fettuccine paprikash. This was my favorite dish as I’ve always been a fan of chorizo and oyster mushrooms. Among the many flavors, the broth was almost bland, but the chorizo added the saltiness it needed.

Lake Meadow roasted poussin with butternut squash skordalia and natural jus reminded me of a homely meal. The poussin was moist and tender, while the carrots provided a crunch. I adored the sweetness of the skordalia and fancied topping my poussin with it for almost every bite. I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to go primal and use my hands to eat this course, but that isn’t lady-like, is it?

Last, but not least, is the peach cobbler with muse butter pecan gelato. Peach cobbler is one of my favorite desserts. Although the peaches were a bit too sweet for my liking, I still enjoyed this dessert and would have had seconds if I was not so full.

This visit was one of the best as the dishes were on point with my tastebuds on the flavors and textures I loved most about food. I not only love food but I love helping the community as well, which is why Second Harvest is such a great cause to work with.

Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida offers more Chef’s Night and events like Dine in the Dark to connect guests with local foods and charities. If you’d like to learn more about Second Harvest, please feel free to click on the hyperlink.

I highly recommend volunteering with Second Harvest and have your events catered by their chefs. Not only would you have a great experience and enjoy delicious food, you will also be helping a cause as the funds will benefit Second Harvest’s Culinary Training Program and our local community.

Katherine Nguyen is currently a Dental Hygiene student at Valencia College. She has a major in Molecular Biology and Microbiology and minoring in Health Service Administration from the University of Central Florida. She enjoyed playing soccer and was captain of an intramural team for 4 years at UCF. Photography is her favorite hobby since 2008; she is very diverse in the field, but her favorite sub-fields are portraits, culinary and maternity photography. In her free time, she tutors students from elementary to college level as well as volunteers at Camp Boggy Creek in Eustis, FL. Link: Katherine Nguyen Photography